Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has vetoed a proposed ban on transgender athletes from playing on school sports teams for girls and women.The bill was originally approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate in early April.“This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender — who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide,” Kelly said in a news release announcing the veto.“As Kansans, we should be focused on how to include all students in extracurricular activities rather than how to exclude those who may be different than us. Kansas is an inclusive state and our laws should reflect our values. This law does not do that.”Kelly said the bill would have caused more harm than good.“This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses,” she said. “It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation, than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.”Kansas Republicans said Kelly’s veto was disappointing. “It’s not surprising but nonetheless disappointing that Governor Kelly opted to veto the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and capitulate to the mistruths and extreme rhetoric offered by the left,” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and State Sen. Renee Erickson said in a statement.“The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is as simple as it sounds – it ensures fairness. It’s not about anything else other than that, and no state should allow itself to be intimidated by big corporations or the NCAA into pretending otherwise. We will continue to fight for fairness in women’s sports until this bill becomes law.”Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures this year.On Wednesday, the Missouri House advanced a bill that banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.“It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead?”Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women.Backers of the bill were eight votes short in the House and one short in the Senate of the supermajorities they would need to override a veto.Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard who led the push for the bill, said she hopes to get at least one colleague to switch to yes after Kelly vetoed the measure.“I want girls and women to have a chance at a fair and equitable playing field in sports,” she said. “This bill protects that.”With Idaho’s ban on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law.The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers. They also bristled at LGBTQ-rights advocates’ predictions that enacting the ban would increase bullying of transgender students.“Saying, ‘If you don’t do what we like and do what we want or think different than us, we’re going to hurt you by not coming to your state,’ that is corporate bullying, and it’s wrong,” Erickson said. Supporters of such bans have pointed to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition.“It’s discrimination to not pass this — it’s discrimination for women,” said Sen. Kristen O’Shea, a Topeka Republican. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas, told colleagues last month that the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” He said Friday that the issue also is about “the chaos that’s permeating our country.”Supporters generally have been unable to cite local examples of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship.The debate in the Senate became emotional and heated. Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, began to cry as she said the proposed ban “hurts vulnerable children.” Sen. Ethan Corson, another Kansas City-area Democrat, found himself accused of ageism after he suggested the bill’s support resulted from many senators being 60 or older and fearing what’s “different than the way we grew up.”In the House, freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, saw the bill as an effort to prevent trans students from being fully part of society. “Trans girls are girls,” she told colleagues. “Trans women are women.”The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has vetoed a proposed ban on transgender athletes from playing on school sports teams for girls and women.
The bill was originally approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate in early April.
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“This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender — who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide,” Kelly said in a news release announcing the veto.
“As Kansans, we should be focused on how to include all students in extracurricular activities rather than how to exclude those who may be different than us. Kansas is an inclusive state and our laws should reflect our values. This law does not do that.”
Kelly said the bill would have caused more harm than good.
“This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses,” she said. “It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation, than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.”
Kansas Republicans said Kelly’s veto was disappointing.
“It’s not surprising but nonetheless disappointing that Governor Kelly opted to veto the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and capitulate to the mistruths and extreme rhetoric offered by the left,” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and State Sen. Renee Erickson said in a statement.
“The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is as simple as it sounds – it ensures fairness. It’s not about anything else other than that, and no state should allow itself to be intimidated by big corporations or the NCAA into pretending otherwise. We will continue to fight for fairness in women’s sports until this bill becomes law.”
Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures this year.
On Wednesday, the Missouri House advanced a bill that banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.
“It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead?”
Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women.
Backers of the bill were eight votes short in the House and one short in the Senate of the supermajorities they would need to override a veto.
Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard who led the push for the bill, said she hopes to get at least one colleague to switch to yes after Kelly vetoed the measure.
“I want girls and women to have a chance at a fair and equitable playing field in sports,” she said. “This bill protects that.”
With Idaho’s ban on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law.
The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers. They also bristled at LGBTQ-rights advocates’ predictions that enacting the ban would increase bullying of transgender students.
“Saying, ‘If you don’t do what we like and do what we want or think different than us, we’re going to hurt you by not coming to your state,’ that is corporate bullying, and it’s wrong,” Erickson said.
Supporters of such bans have pointed to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition.
“It’s discrimination to not pass this — it’s discrimination for women,” said Sen. Kristen O’Shea, a Topeka Republican.
Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas, told colleagues last month that the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” He said Friday that the issue also is about “the chaos that’s permeating our country.”
Supporters generally have been unable to cite local examples of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship.
The debate in the Senate became emotional and heated. Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, began to cry as she said the proposed ban “hurts vulnerable children.” Sen. Ethan Corson, another Kansas City-area Democrat, found himself accused of ageism after he suggested the bill’s support resulted from many senators being 60 or older and fearing what’s “different than the way we grew up.”
In the House, freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, saw the bill as an effort to prevent trans students from being fully part of society.
“Trans girls are girls,” she told colleagues. “Trans women are women.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
